That is called the mode of passion. As for those in the mode of ignorance, they have
neither passion nor goodness. They are in the deepest darkness of life. Situated in the
mode of goodness, we can understand, at least theoretically, what I am, what this world
is, what God is, and what our interrelationship is. This is the mode of goodness.
By hearing krsna-katha, we will be freed from the stages of ignorance and passion.
We will be situated in the mode of goodness.
At least we’ll have the real knowledge—knowledge of what we are. Ignorance is like the
animal existence.
The animal’s life is full of suffering, but the animal does not know that he is
suffering. Take the case of a hog. Oh, how miserable his life is: living in a
filthy place, eating stools, and always unclean.
Yet the hog is very happy by eating
stools, and having constant sexual intercourse with the she-hog and just getting fat.
The hog gets very fat, because of the spirit of enjoyment which is there— although,
for him, it is sensual enjoyment.
We should not be like the hog, falsely thinking that we are very happy. Working hard
all day and night, then having some sex life—we think that in this way we are very happy.
But this is not happi­ness. This has been described in the Bhagavatam as a hog’s
happiness. Man’s happiness is when he is situated in the
mode of goodness.

Then he can under­stand what true happiness is.
In our daily routine, if we hear this krsna-katha, the result will be that all the dirty
things in the heart, accumulated life after life, will be cleared out. As a matter of
fact, we will see that we are no longer in ignorance or in passion, but are situated
in the mode of goodness. What is that position?
We will find ourselves joyful in every circumstance of life. We will never feel morose.
In the Bhagavad-gita we find that this is our brahma-bhuta (highest stage of goodness)
situation. The Vedas teach us that we are not this matter. We are Brahman.
Aham brahmasmi. Lord Sankaracarya preached this gospel to the world.
We are not this matter; we are Brahman, spirit. When spiritual realiza­tion is actually
accomplished, then our symptoms will change. What are those symptoms? When one
is situated in his own spiritual consciousness, then he will have no hankering and no
lamentation. Lamentation is for loss, and hankering is for gain. Two diseases
characterize this material world. What we do not possess, we hanker after: “If I get
these things I’ll be happy. I have no money, but if I get a million dollars, then
I’ll be happy.” When we actually have a million dollars, somehow it will be lost, and
we’ll cry, “Oh, I have lost it!” So the second dis­ease is lamentation. When we hanker
for earning, that is a kind of distress. And when we suffer loss, that is also distress.
But if we are situated in brahma-bhuta, we will neither lament nor will we hanker.
We will view equally everyone and everything. Even if we are situated in the midst of
fiery turbulence, we will not be disturbed. That is the mode of goodness.
Bhagavatam means “the science of God.” If we persevere in the science of God, we will be
situated in the brahma-bhuta status. From that brahma-bhuta status, we have to work,
for work is recommended here. So long as we have this material body, we have to work.
We cannot stop working; it is not possible. But we have to adopt the tactics of yoga,
and in this way, even by doing some ordinary work which by destiny or cir­cumstances
we are put into, there is no harm. Suppose that, in one’s own occupation, one must speak a lie or his business can’t go on. Lying is not a
very good thing, so one concludes that the business is not based on
very moral principles and one should therefore give it up. In the Bhagavad-gita,
however, we find
instruction not to give it up. Even if we are put in such cir­cumstances that
our livelihood
cannot go on without some unfair practice, we should not give it up. But we should try
to make it purified. How is it purified? We should not take the fruitive result of our
work. That is meant for God.

Sukrta means pious activities. And duskrta means impious activities. On the material
level we can be pious or im­pious. Either we are performing some pious activities, or we
are performing some impious activities—or we have a mixture, pious and impious.
Lord Krsna advises that we should act with knowl­edge of, or devotion to, the Supreme.
What does that knowledge mean? It means that I am the part and parcel of the supreme
consciousness, or that I am not this body. If I identify myself as an American, as an
Indian, or this or that, then I am on the material plane. We should identify ourselves
as neither Americans nor Indians, but as pure consciousness. I am a subordinate
con­sciousness of the supreme conscious­ness; in other words, I am the servant of God.
God is the supreme consciousness, and I am His servant. So, for our pres­ent
understanding, subordinate means servant.
We don’t ordinarily carry out
the work of a servant in rela­tionship to God. Nobody wants to be a
servant, but everyone
wants to be the master, because to be­come a servant is not a very palatable thing.
But to become the servant of God is not exactly like this. Sometimes the servant of
God becomes the master of God. The real position of the living en­tity is to be the
servant of God, but in the Bhagavad-gita we can see that the master, Krsna, became
the servant of Arjuna. Arjuna is sitting in the chariot, and Krsna is his driver.
Arjuna is not the owner of the chariot, but in the spiritual relationship we should
not cling to the concept of the material relationship. Al­though the whole relationship,
just as we have experience of it in this world, is there in the spiritual world, that
relation­ship is not contaminated by matter. Therefore, it is pure and transcendental.
It is of a different nature. As we become advanced in the spiritual conception of life,
we can understand what the actual position in the spiritual, transcendental world is.
Here the Lord instructs us in buddhi-­yoga. Buddhi-yoga means that we have full
consciousness of not being this body; if I act with this understanding, then I’m not
body—I am consciousness. That is a fact. Now, if we act on the level of con­sciousness,
then we can overcome the fruitive result of good work or bad work. It is a
transcendental stage.

It means that we are acting on another’s account — on the Supreme’s account. We are not
liable to loss or gain. When there is gain, we should not be puffed up. We should think,
“This gain is for the Lord.” And when there is loss, we should know that this is not
our re­sponsibility. It is God’s work—His. Then we will be happy. This we have to
prac­tice: everything on account of the Supreme. This transcendental nature we have
to develop. This is the trick of doing work under these present circum­stances.
As soon as we work on the level of bodily consciousness, we become bound by the
reaction of our work. But when we work through spiritual con­sciousness, we are not
bound either by pious activities or by vicious activities.

That is the technique.
Mantsinah—this word is very significant.
Manisi means “thoughtful.” Un­less one is thoughtful, he cannot understand that he
is not this body. But if one is a little thoughtful he can understand, “Oh, I am not
this body. I am conscious­ness.” Sometimes, in our leisure time, we can see, “Oh,
this is my finger, and this is my hand. This is my ear, and this is my nose. Everything
is mine, but what am I, what am I?” I am feeling that this is mine, and that I am.
Simply a little thought is required. Everything is mine—my eyes, my finger, my hand.
My, my, my, and what is the I? The I is that consciousness, in which I am think­ing,
“This is mine.”
Now,if I am not this body, then why should I act for this body? I should act for myself.
Then, how can I work for myself? What is my position? I am consciousness. But what kind
of consciousness? Subordinate con­sciousness—I am part of the supreme consciousness.
Then, what will my ac­tivities be? My activities will be under the guidance of the
supreme conscious­ness, just as in the office, the managing director is the supreme
consciousness. For example, in the office everyone is
working under the direction of the manager; therefore, they have no responsibility.
They have only to discharge their duties. Either pious or impious duties—never mind.
In the military line, too, the order of the captain or the commander is there.
The soldier has to execute it. He does not consider whether it is pious or impious.
That does not matter. He simply has to act; then he is a real soldier.
He acts in that way and he gets his reward. He gets title and honor. He doesn’t care.
The commander says, “Just go and kill the enemy,” and he is rewarded. Do you think that
by killing one gets reward? No—it is for the duty discharged.
Similarly, here the situation is that Krsna is instructing Arjuna. Krsna is the supreme
consciousness.

I am consciousness, the part and parcel of the supreme consciousness. So my duty is to act ac­cording
to that supreme consciousness. For example, I consider my hand as a part of my body.
Now, it is moving in its own way. “As I want, let my hand be moved. Let my legs be
moved. Let my eyes be opened and see.” So, I am dictating, and these parts are
working. Similarly, we are parts and parcels of Krsna.
When we train ourselves
to act in accordance with supreme conscious­ness, then we become transcendental to all
these pious or impious activites. That is the technique. What will the result of this
technique be? We become free from the bondage of birth and death. No more birth
and death.
Modern scientists and philosophers do not think about these four things: birth,
death, disease, and old age. They set them aside. “Oh, let us be happy. Let us enjoy
this life.” But human life is meant for finding a solution to this bondage of birth,
death, disease, and old age. If any civilization has not found a solution to these four
problems, then that is not a human civilization. Human civilization is meant for finding
a solution to these things.
So here in the Bhagavad-gita, the Lord says, karma-jam buddhi-yukta hi.
Karma -jam means whenever there is action there will be some reaction. If one acts in
badness, there will be a bad reaction. But reaction, either good or bad, is, in the
higher sense, all suffering. Suppose that by good action I get a good birth,
fine bodily features, and a good education. All these good things I may have, but that
does not mean that I am free from material pains. The material pains are birth, death,
old age, and disease. Even if I am a rich man, a beautiful man, an educated man, born in
an aristocratic family, and so on, I still cannot avoid death, old age, and disease.
So we must not be concerned with pious activities or impious activities. We must be concerned with transcendental activities
only. That will save us from this bondage of birth, death, old age, and disease.
That should be our aim in life. We should not be hankering after good or
bad things. For example, suppose one is suffering from some disease. He is lying in bed,
eating, passing nature’s call uncomfortably, and taking bitter medi­cines. He always
has to be kept clean by the nurses; otherwise there is an obnoxious smell. While he is
lying in this con­dition some friends come to him and ask how he is feeling. “Yes, I am
feeling well.” What is this “well”? Lying in bed uncomfortably, taking bitter medicine,
and unable to move! Yet despite all these inconveniences he says,
“I am well.” Similarly, in our material conception of life, if we think, “I am happy,”
that is foolishness. There is no happiness in material life. It is impossible to have
happiness here. In this condition, we do not know the meaning of happiness.
That’s why this very word is used, manasinah— “thoughtful.”
We seek happiness by some ex­traneous, artificial means, but how long does it last?
It will not endure. We again come back to sorrow. Suppose, by in­toxication, we feel
happy. That is not our actual happiness. Suppose I am made unconscious by chloroform,
and I don’t feel the pain of an operation. That does not mean that I am not having an
opera­tion. This is artificial.

LORD KRSNA'S LOTUS FEET

Real pleasure, real life, exists.
As Sri Krsna commands in the Bhagavad-gita, the thoughtful give up the reaction of
work, being situated on the level of pure consciousness. The result is that this
bondage of birth and death, disease, and old age comes to an end. This end is in
union with the true
identity, Krsna, the reservoir of pleasure and eternal bliss. There, indeed, is the
true happiness for which we are
intended.